


Setting Sun

by Loloshroom



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Canonical Character Death, Drugs, F/F, F/M, Fake Character Death, Gen, Its like. a weird government facility thing. kinda like the xmen but not at all like the xmen at all, M/M, Referenced bad stuff, Slow Burn, Spoilers, Torture, both pre and post timeskip. in for the long haul folks, claude is the protag btw, not relationship centric, nothing is described graphically
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-25
Updated: 2019-09-25
Packaged: 2020-10-27 19:51:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,380
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20766023
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Loloshroom/pseuds/Loloshroom
Summary: It’s not entirely clear what he was expecting, but it certainly wasn’t this. Talk about a long five hours, the drive was about as boring as you can get, nothing but trees and fields of grass on either side for miles and miles. There wasn’t even anyone on the road to get mad at to make things more interesting. No, instead, it was a pleasant drive, listening to the same stupid spotify playlist he always listens to (rap is an underrated genre, said no one ever, but hey it sounds nice and that’s all that matters. Besides, it’s not like Claude knows what other people think).





	Setting Sun

**Author's Note:**

> Hello it's been a long time since I've actually written and not rped.  
This is based on an au that ive been thinking about for months, some of it will be abridged since i dont like graphic things in my good christian longfics.  
In addition, I really am loving fe3h, it means a lot to me, almost as much as mp100 (lol) so... Yeah  
my twitter is @ loloshroom! I figured I'll start using twitter more so if u wanna talk I'm there!

It’s not entirely clear what he was expecting, but it certainly wasn’t this. Talk about a long five hours, the drive was about as boring as you can get, nothing but trees and fields of grass on either side for miles and miles. There wasn’t even anyone on the road to get mad at to make things more interesting. No, instead, it was a pleasant drive, listening to the same stupid spotify playlist he always listens to (rap is an underrated genre, said no one ever, but hey it sounds nice and that’s all that matters. Besides, it’s not like Claude knows what other people think).

The enrollment process for this place was a hassle and a half. Waking up one day with a letter with no return address on the envelope only for it to be a government mandated thing that went way over Claude’s head. He was initially going to toss it aside, if not for his guardian, Nader, to tell him it was legitimate. He had been selected for an “Academic Experience” with other “Freaks” just like him. Which is great. Totally wonderful and amazing. He loves it when people make decisions for him without his permission. However, he isn’t complaining either. After all, if he goes, he has a blank slate. So he went to the initial entry tests, to gauge his abilities, and also get to know his power.

His power? Well, that’s a secret, my friend. And secrets are never revealed that easily.

Apparently, he was exceptional enough to lead a house. Which is absolutely wild considering the implications. It either means he and everyone else hasn’t been giving him enough credit his whole life, or everyone else that’s going is incredibly underwhelming and lame. He likes to think it’s the former, to give himself an ego boost. However, he knows it’s probably the latter, there’s no way someone like him can really be what a place like the government wants in charge. He doesn’t exactly have the best reputation, having almost gotten kicked out of school a few times. But he manages to stay in due to his surprisingly good grades, it’s somehow enough to keep the school quiet about being found with weed on his person while at school (something about grade averages). Which is a plus, even if everyone there hates his guts.

But that doesn’t matter anymore. He pulls into the compound surrounded by a fence, the gates opening for him. Some security they have, if they let a kid like him in without asking for an ID or anything. Then again, this place is so remote that even getting here is a feat in and of itself, they probably aren’t too worried. Claude drives slowly down the dirt road, rolling down his window and peeking his head out to get a better look at the building before him. It’s utterly massive, and there seem to be more than one building too. There are five, it seems. Three look mostly the same, the only difference between them being the colored stripes down their middle, being the primary colors (thank goodness they didn’t go with rgb, Claude is sick of having yellow be left out). They seem to be connected to a main building, standing tall. And then there’s another, seemingly detached from the other four. He pulls up to the main building, and spots a few other cars already parked. Glad he isn’t the first one here, he locates a good spot, and parks right next to a light post.

Claude can’t help but be thankful he’s a light packer. Sure, he might be living here for the next eight (eight? Maybe… It was never specified he just assumes it’s like normal school) months, but he only has like… Five bags! Six bags… Seven- Okay so maybe he’s not as light of a packer as he thought. He sighs, shaking his head as he pulls out four of them and his backpack, two in each hand. He’ll have to make multiple trips, unfortunately. 

As he struggles down the path, wrestling with his bags, he notices two boys also walking in the same direction. They’re both nicely dressed, and Claude can’t help but feel self conscious. All he wore was his typical v-neck and skinny jeans, as well as his plethora of bracelets, his necklace, and his good luck earring. The shorter (but still tall) white boy is wearing a tight turtleneck sweater, baggy jeans, and cuffs on his sleeves. His hair is ugly as sin, like the boy took a straightener to some spaghetti. Somehow, he pulls off the dorky look, looking rather… Formal, if nothing else. His large companion looks much the same. The black boy is wearing a perfectly ironed button up, a blue and orange scarf draped over his shoulders, and proper dress pants. He also is carrying all of the bags, the other boy not doing much of anything. How 1847 of them. He rolls his eyes, and starts to speed up, walking past them. Honestly he wants nothing to do with the shorter (who is still taller than him) boy. He hears them talking,

“Dedue, you need to stop coddling me,” The straight spaghetti boy insists. His voice is quite nice actually, Claude notes, “You know I can carry those things myself.”

“No, I would prefer to carry these, instead of making you do so,” His companion, Dedue, responds, “It’s my pleasure to help you.”

“But I don’t need your help!” He sounds more distressed now, Claude has to hold back a laugh, “Dedue please!” He’s had enough of their bickering though, and Claude once again picks up his pace, heading inside the building.

It's about as generic you can get. The blue tiled flooring is that same weirdly splotchy pattern it always is, and they shine, reflecting everything. It's almost as clear as a mirror. If Claude was paying attention to the floor, he might have stopped and checked his hair. However, he was transfixed on the people around him.

There was a pair of boys talking to one another, who seemed familiar with one another in their mannerisms. There was a girl standing as close to the wall as possible, examining the floor as if it held all the secrets to the world. And there was a girl who held herself with high authority. She looked like the center of the world, with a tall looming shadow right behind her. She too is examining everyone around her with watchful eyes. Claude finds himself caught in a conundrum as they lock eyes, cool green meeting striking purple. She smiles at him, sending a chill down his spine as she turns back to meet with her shadow. He felt like he was just read like a book.

Saving himself from whatever that interaction was, he goes back to walking, and heads down the hall that presented itself to him. He follows the signs printed on neon paper that said 'CHECK IN THIS WAY' as if this place was run by a low-budget high school. But he pays the informality and the ridiculousness of the situation no mind as he makes a turn into the room.

It's a generic boomer's office. Two green haired people sit at the desk, one actually properly at the desk, a serene woman, and a man just behind her. She looks perfect. Perfect hair, perfect smile, porcelain skin, knowing eyes. For the second time within the minute, he stared into a girl's eyes and felt like she knew all of his secrets. He walks over to the desk cautiously, placing his bags on the ground as he stared back at her, tension building in his chest,

"You must be Claude," The woman says, gesturing to the seat across from her, "Please, have a seat. This will only take a moment."

"Uhh, thanks," Claude finds himself speaking casually as he takes the seat, "Is this where you tell me all the rules and give me an earful and twenty papers that need my signature?" He asks, and it earns a laugh from her. Good, the woman can experience more emotions than just stony smile,

"I am Rhea. I am the headmaster and archbishop here," Rhea says, hands resting on the desk, "This is my head adviser, Seteth," Claude looks back at the man sitting slightly behind Rhea. Looks like a dilf, "We hope that you can guide your house through the next year, well. Being a house leader, you get your own room," Seteth leans forward and places a key on the table, right in front of Claude, "Once you are finished settling in, please return to the main hall. We're going to have an assembly."

_ Assembly? What is this, a children's school?  _ "Thank you." Claude gets to his feet, putting the key in his pocket and grabbing his bags before rushing off. Seems he's in the yellow building. Good, yellow is a good color.

Unpacking felt like a hassle, because it most certainly was. The walk to the dorms was and arduous one, the hill being unforgiving with how many bags he was carrying. However, once he finished, Claude is happy with the results. Posters of his favorite bands hang on his wall like it’s 2008, a desk is crammed with books, notebooks, and mindless activities like a rubix cube. He brought a mini-fridge, just in case, and some… other things that he kept under lock and key. He grins wide, hands on his hips as he examines his finished product with a sparkle in his eyes. He knows the organization won't last though. As soon as he starts properly living in the room, everything is going to fall apart. But for now, it's clean, pristine, and perfect.

The walk back to the main hall is about the same as the walk from it. Through a weirdly windowed hallway that exposed the outside, the walls only made from the glass, to the actual building itself. There were more people though. He saw a giant of a man walking from the yellow building, a generic blonde girl headed for the blue one, and what Claude could only describe as a flamboyant man headed back from the red building. There's quite the cast of characters, it seems.

"Hello everyone," Rhea's voice was loud enough that Claude could hear it outside the door. He quickly entered and squeezed his way through the people, settling in standing next to a pink haired girl, "It is my pleasure to welcome you to Garegg Mach. Here, we are bringing those with inherent special abilities together. Before we begin, some of you are confused. You do not have those abilities, and yet here you are," Claude blinks, and looks around the room.  _ Is that true? _ He catches a glimpse of Dedue, the boy from before, wringing his hands.  _ Is he one without abilities?  _ "You are here because you have the potential. You will be able to develop the powers just like your peers. You are not less or more than them, because you will be working together to build this community and grow as individuals. Some simply have more room to grow than others." Rhea says this with bright eyes, eyes that make Claude's flesh crawl, 

"We have split you into three houses," She continues, "Will the leaders please come forward?" Oh. Oh that's his cue. Claude pushes past people, muttering “excuse me”s and “thank you”s as he swims his way to the front of the crowd. It feels like hundreds of mini spotlights are on him. Not that that's any different than normal, but this time they are trained on him. They're focusing solely on him. 

He stumbles up to the front with two others, children who look his age. There's the eerie girl from before, the worst possible outcome. Everything about her made Claude want to combust. Her hair is pure white, eyes purple, and small build. She seems impossible to Claude. Like Rhea, she looked too perfect. But when Claude manages to peel his eyes off of her, he sees the second worst possible outcome. Spaghetti haired boy, standing firm, but he had the nervous tics of a dorky boy. Fidgeting fingers, shifting the weight on his feet, eyes darting and looking at the crowd before him. Claude sighs, hands on his hips. Seems only one of them is fit to be a leader, and she's terrifying,

"These are your leaders," Rhea speaks again, "Edelgard Von Hresvlg is in charge of the Black Eagles." She gestures to the white haired girl, whose face turned into a broad and confident smile. The only thing on Claude's mind was why they were called the  _ Black _ Eagles, when their color was obviously red,

"I will be leading you all with confidence," Edelgard says, "After all, this is a bit of a… competition." She winks, and Claude can't help but notice one of the girls swooning. Gross, stop flirting it's the first day. Edelgard's shadow is still standing close to the front, giving Claude and spaghetti boy a hairy eyeball (get it it's funny because you can only see one of his eyes).

"This is Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd." Rhea says, gesturing to the boy next to Claude. So his name is Dimitri huh? What a dumb name, "He will be leading the Blue Lions." At least that name makes sense,

"It is my pleasure to meet you all," Dimitri says, his voice surprisingly sturdy compared to what Claude expected the nervous boy to say, "I look forward to making close connections to those I don't know, and strengthening bonds already formed."

"Love you too Dimitri!" A boy in the back yells, causing the two people beside him to crack up,

"Thank you, Sylvain." Dimitri's face turns bright pink, he narrows his eyebrows, and shakes his head, sighing. Claude couldn't help but notice Edelgard was laughing too.

"Please keep commentary to a minimum in the future." Rhea says, voice stern. The laughter quickly fades, almost gone in an instant, "Thank you," She smiles again, "Lastly, this is Claude von Riegan. He will be leading the Golden Deer." Oh jeez that's him. Claude takes a deep breath, and speaks,

"Hey,"  _ Good start, idiot,  _ "I'm looking forward to sharing a laugh with all of you. That's what I'm supposed to say, right? Address all of you so you feel better?" Claude adds a good snicker at the end of his greeting, hands going behind his head. The sound of Edelgard sighing was exactly the reaction he was looking for. Completely, and utterly, unimpressed.

"Thank you, all of you," Rhea doesn't seem to mind the casualty of Claude's interaction, "We also have other staff members. You have all met Seteth already, so allow me to introduce you to his sister, Flayn. She is going to be a student, just like all of you. Seteth requested I introduce her to you after I introduced him."

"Brother!" Yelled a girl from the back of the room. Claude snickers again, assuming that's Flayn being disappointed in his actions,

"Yes,  _ anyway, _ " Rhea attempts to keep attention on her once more, "We have other faculty with you. Professor Manuela, Professor Hanneman, and Professor Byleth will be teaching your classes. You will be meeting them soon. Our security will be lead by Alois, Catherine, and Jeralt. Please, try  _ not _ to get to know them." She laughs to herself. No one else did, "Now, there are rules. The curfew is 10:00 pm. You must be inside your room around 10. There are no exceptions. You will not swear, use illicit drugs, or have explicit relations with one another. You will listen to the teachings of the goddess. You will not leave the grounds of the facility unless expressed permission is granted. You will not attack a fellow student, both physically and mentally, unless in a sparring situation. Your rooms will be frisked each week. And any word that either Seteth or I speak is final."

Well Claude now has a list of things to do. Okay… get high, have sex (maybe not that one), swear, stay up late… He smiles, crossing his arms as he thinks about it more and more. Of course, Rhea is still talking, "Classes will begin tomorrow, I am certain that me talking for thirty minutes can only entertain you all for so long. The rest of your day is yours. Please, spend it how you would like. You are dismissed."

People start moving almost instantly, and soon Claude is swallowed by the crowd. It becomes glaringly obvious that he doesn't know anyone there, and that other people do know one another. He watches them all blend to one another, but he notices it's divided. Red and blue… but where is the yellow? The gold?

"Claude!" A girl says, the same girl he was standing next to earlier, he'd recognize that hair anywhere, "It's nice to meetcha!" She says, taking his hand in hers and shaking it, "The name is Hilda!"

"Hilda, eh?" Claude smiles, shaking her hand back. It feels like an awkward hand hold, "Nice name. Nice hair too." He watches her face brighten as she starts walking, dragging Claude with her,

"I know right! It's such a pain to deal with, making it this color and getting it to be so cute takes so long." Hilda pouts as she takes him to a group of people. The giant man from earlier is there, as well as a bunch of others all… waiting, "We've been meaning to meet our leader! Oh, be glad it was me who went to find you instead of Lorenz. I've only known him for a few hours and he creeps me out."

“Hilda, that’s unbecoming of you, ruining one’s first impression.” A boy, who Claude assumes is Lorenz, shakes his head. And, my god, is his hair awful. Straight bangs, but they’re at an angle? Who decides that’s a good idea? This guy, apparently, “I am Lorenz,” Yep, no wonder Hilda hates him, “And you don’t seem to be a very good leader.” 

“Gee, nice to meet you too,” Claude says, sarcasm laden in his voice, “And it’s not like her prior sentence helped with the first impression. You kinda fucked it up yourself.”   


“Um!” A short boy with the biggest glasses Claude has ever seen speaks up, raising his hand halfheartedly like a student, “Didn’t Rhea say we shouldn’t swear? Oh-And um... I’m Ignatz, by the way. Sorry for not introducing myself to begin with- I’m rambling aren’t I...” He says, looking down at the floor,

“Yeah, she did,” Claude shrugs, “But I don't care. It’s not like she can listen to everything I say. Unless one of you is a dirty snitch.” The awkward silence that filled the group was enough to make Claude smile. Perfect, seems they all understood, and Hilda was smiling at that. He’s funny now too? Great, this is perfect. Perfect.

“I see…” A girl with boy cut hair that screamed “I’m a lesbian” at Claude, “Then I suppose we’ll get along just fine then, Claude.” She smiles, and it makes Claude’s confidence only grow. This really is the ego boost he had been begging for his entire life. 

He catches a glimpse of the other houses, and it seems they’re all doing similar things. Introducing themselves, and discussing things. It’s cute, they all look like sports teams, all huddled around one another. Edelgard is talking authoritatively, flipping her hair and looking at all of them with the presence of a true leader. Dimitri is struggling to keep their attention, Sylvain sometimes speaking over him, and some dude in a man-bun giving snide remarks. As for Claude’s group,

“... And that’s why Shrek 2 is a cinematic masterpiece.” He thinks things are going pretty well. With a smile, he turns to his group. Sure, some are looking dorkier than others (read: Ignatz) but they all seem like the kind of people he belongs with. He can't help but feel like he got the leftovers though. It seems like the other houses have already established friendships, and this group seems to be acquaintances at best (though as he thinks that, he sees Ignatz and Raphael share a meaningful look).

The rest of the afternoon goes off without a hitch. Mostly everyone in Claude’s house is about as bright and lively as the last. He especially liked Hilda’s energy, the way she spoke so confidently, with a smile and bright eyes that seemed to light up the room. Her vibrant hair certainly made her memorable, if anything. It reminds him of a pink sun, if such a thing ever existed. And he matched! A yellow and pink sun, in charge of a group of idiots in a rather idiotic situation with the budget of less than the lint he definitely didn’t have in his pockets (he totally does).

Once dinner rolls around, and the three houses all enter the cafeteria, he’s surprised to see it isn’t a Harry Potter situation (God does he hate comparing this to that). The tables aren’t separated by house, instead welcoming and inviting to whomever’s butt wants to claim the chair. Immediately, it becomes apparent that people want him to sit with them. Hilda, smiling and waving, gestures for him to sit with her, and as he excitedly heads towards her, he’s stopped. A tall man stands before him, obscuring his view of pink haired heaven, and Claude recognizes him almost immediately. It’s Edelgard’s skeletal shadow, bright eye seeming dark against his hair, looming over Claude,

“Edelgard would like you to sit with her,” He says, voice demanding, even if it’s just an offer, “She wishes to meet with her fellow house leaders. Please, come with me.”

“Full stop creep?” Claude says, not really letting there be room for an argument, “I don’t know anyone. I’d rather meet with my house members.”

“If that is the case, please, by all means, bring one of your friends with you,” The skeleton smiles, “After all, I will be accompanying Edelgard, and I am certain Dedue will be with Dimitri.” Great, now Claude is backed into a corner here. He can’t exactly  _ decline _ , he’d feel bad. With probably the most exasperated sigh he can muster, he nods, relenting,

“Alright alright, give me a hot minute, I’ll be right back.” Claude quickly heads over to the table Hilda is sitting at and grabs her by her elbow, “Come with me we’re sitting with dork squad.” Confused, but not asking any questions, Hilda gets up and follows Claude. 

The four teens are sitting all formally in a table in the back, Edelgard and Dimitri averting one another’s gaze (ah puppy love), and Dedue and Edelgard’s skeleton (he needs to learn his name this nickname is getting annoying) sit stiffly. Claude and Hilda don’t really fit with the formal and stark theme of the other four, but he supposes the table could use a little sunshine.

With a rather loud plop of their trays, Claude and Hilda sit at the table, “So, what did you want to talk about?” He asks, practically begging for this to be over soon. Hilda places a hand on his shoulder, and for some reason, he finds himself grounded, a bit more focused,

“Well, I’ve been meaning to meet you two,” Edelgard says, chin resting in her hand, “Of course, Dimitri and I have already spoken while waiting for you, so-”   


“It’s nice to meet you, Claude,” Dimitri smiles and Claude’s heart skips a beat (wait not that’s not supposed to happen), “I don’t know if I’ve introduced myself yet but I Dimitri.”

“Yeah I know you, I listened to you introduce yourself,” Claude rolls his eyes, “You’re spaghetti haired boy.” And Hilda has to pound herself the table to keep herself from losing it. Claude watches Edelgard crack a smirk, she too is struggling to stifle her laugh. But Claude’s favorite reaction was Dimitri’s, watching his cheeks turn from pale, to pink, to bright red. It’s dumb, the way Claude can’t help but smile upon seeing him practically die on the spot, it’s… Dare he say cute? Is that allowed?

“Please, try to refrain from insulting him,” Dedue speaks, holding a hand out to stop Claude from speaking further, “He’s sensitive.” And Edelgard’s companion seems to love that reaction, snickering. Though his snicker is less of a laugh and more of a cackle,

“Hubert please,” Edelgard says, placing a hand on his shoulder (thank god he has a name now. Even if it is a dumb one), “He’s sensitive.”

“Okay if you’re just going to make fun of me I can just leave.” Dimitri practically slams his forehead on the table and… It cracks. The tone shift of small chuckles from everyone (except Dedue) immediately gets sucked out of the air. Claude has to gulp to stop himself from saying anything when Dimitri lifts his head and looks at the table, distraught, “Not again!” He cries,

“Please do not break the tables,” Dedue places a hand on Dimitri’s shoulder, “They cost money.”

“It’s not on purpose!” 

“Well, I think we’re done here,” Claude says, clearing his throat, “It’s a pleasure to meet you two. I hope to see you when it isn’t in a forced meeting.” Getting to his feet and lifting his tray, he leaves, Hilda following behind him,

“Well, that certainly was an experience,” Hilda says, once they return to their table, occupied by Lorenz, Marianne, Ignatz, and Raphael, “I must say, you really are a troublemaker. I think we’re going to get along just fine. And by that, I mean I’m going to watch you make trouble and laugh in the distance.” 

Claude snorts, “Yeah, maybe,” with a crack of his neck, he grabs the cold chicken nugget he got from the sorry excuse from a kitchen, “I hope you mean that.  _ That when you say you’ll stand by me, you will. _ ” It hurts, the back of his mouth goes dry and the tip of his tongue changes color, but he really doesn’t want to risk this. Risk the chance at a friendship,

“Of course!” The words are chipper, but he knows that it’s forced, even if she’s smiling, “I’ll stand by you, Claude.”

“Good.”


End file.
